IN PRAISE OF THE KINDLE

I have been a keen user of the Kindle e-reader for a decade now, and as another year draws to an end I feel it is time take stock of the drawbacks (few) and benefits (many) which this technology has brought me over these years – for today even though I have a substantial library, if I have the choice of reading a book in Kindle or print form, I will probably choose the electronic format.

Some say the e-text lacks the feel and the concreteness of a physical book: others may object to the proprietary aspect (it’s officially the Amazon Kindle). The e-book makes additions to one’s library invisible (but still real), and giving a Kindle file as a present is not the same as giving a book!

The small size of the device means it is fine for text but not so good for art books. Also the user has to remember to charge the battery, whereas a physical book is ‘always on’. In the academic world, Kindle editions may not be ideal for referencing, as many Kindle texts lack conventional page numbers.

These objections are not to be dismissed out of hand, but I consider they are outweighed by the many and diverse advantages. I find the flat surface particularly convenient for reading, and greatly appreciate the backlighting which means one can read at any time, including during lights-out on a plane! Also crucial is the ability to change the font size (by contrast, I may have to simply abstain from reading a physical book if the font is too small). Download is immediate – once a book is ordered it arrives immediately and one can start reading! Capacity is another issue: one device can store hundreds not only of books but of omnibus volumes, the latter (such as Delphi Classics) typically being designed for electronic reading. There are no storage space issues as there are with a physical library. The Kindle also creates new search possibilities, within books and across books, and one can engage in a lexical hunt tracking down the appearances of a given word across one’s entire collection! Particularly useful too is the dictionary function – press on a word and up comes the definition – which allows readers to develop their word power, in a foreign language but also in one’s own language.

I am sure there are more functions that I haven’t explored, and from the above list of advantages conclude that the Kindle is overwhelmingly beneficial to those of us who love reading!  The name Kindle is indeed appropriate, for every time a reader opens the device, a flame is kindled in the name of the written word!